Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: THERE HAS been a major fallout in the country's strongest tourism market, the North East United States, with dire projections there will be 25,695 less scheduled air seats from that region in winter 2009.

Of that amount, the loss of 19,335 seats is due to system-wide capacity reduction by American Airlines, aggravated by national carrier Air Jamaica's discontinuation of service from Newark, New Jersey, earlier this year.

The market slump comes after the country enjoyed the comfort of 32,307 seats from its most important gateway, New York, last winter season. This has plummeted to a mere 12,972 this year.

economic downturn in us

Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner about the impact that the decrease could have on the tourist industry, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Wayne Cummings, said it would be very significant, because seats play an important role in determining the amount of support that is put behind the gateway in terms of advertising and marketing initiatives. He argued that the drop in scheduled airline seats was an immediate reaction to the economic downturn in the United States.

"It also has everything to do with us understanding that aviation has taken a turn and airlines are running a business," commented Cummings. "While there are fewer seats available, we are building more rooms, and the only result in that equation is a lower average occupancy to the country, because we are stretching our resources too thin," the JHTA president added.

As badly as the seat cut-back has affected the north east, American Airlines has compensated with the introduction of a new service, with revenue guaranteed by the Government of Jamaica, come November 2. The schedule between Miami and Montego Bay will increase from two daily non-stop flights, to three. On the same date, it will also increase service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Montego Bay from one to five weekly flights, and then to daily service in mid-December.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com